A NASA spacecraft is set to have a close encounter with an asteroid in the main belt on Sunday afternoon, marking the second of several asteroid flybys planned as part of its 12-year mission to investigate remnants of the early solar system. The Lucy spacecraft will reach a distance of 596 miles (960 km) from asteroid Donaldjohanson — named after the paleoanthropologist who discovered the “Lucy” hominin fossil — at the closest point during the pass, scheduled for 1:51 PM ET, according to NASA. Lucy will utilize three instruments to capture detailed observations as it approaches the asteroid, rotating alongside it over a few hours to obtain a comprehensive view. The spacecraft will cease tracking just before reaching the closest point to the asteroid, as it will need to shield its instruments from the sun’s position to prevent any potential damage.
In a previous mission, the spacecraft visited a small asteroid called Dinkinesh in 2023, revealing that the asteroid is orbited by a contact binary, described as a peanut-shaped double moon «made of two smaller objects touching each other,» as explained by NASA at the time. Following its encounter with Donaldjohanson, Lucy will proceed to its primary targets, a few «Trojan» asteroids that orbit the sun in the same path as Jupiter. The spacecraft is anticipated to reach the first of these objects in 2027.
Tom Statler, Lucy mission program scientist, emphasized the significance of each asteroid’s unique narrative in unveiling the history of our solar system. He stated in a press release, “Every asteroid has a different story to tell, and these stories weave together to paint the history of our solar system. The fact that each new asteroid we visit knocks our socks off means we’re only beginning to understand the depth and richness of that history. Telescopic observations are hinting that Donaldjohanson is going to have an interesting story, and I’m fully expecting to be surprised — again.”
This article was originally published on Engadget at .
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